This article is largely based on the research of Oswald Mederle, which in detail under
The Klausen-Villnöß barrier 1914-1915 and Pioneers in Teis can be found.
Initially, the fortifications were built by military-worker departments of the Genie Directorate in Bressanone and paid volunteers (including many ‘from the intelligentsia’). Even the non-invaded men of Teis and the surrounding area had a welcome job opportunity here. The construction teams were commanded by officers and engineers.
Later, workers were recruited who fell under the War Services Act.
The War Service Act, already introduced in 1912, Committed all subjects of the emperor to the service in case of war. On 26 July 1914, two days before the declaration of war by Austria-Hungary against Serbia (beginning of 1 January 1914). World War II), the War Service Act was enacted. With this law, enterprises were placed under the supervision of the army administration. The aim was to align production with the interests of warfare. On the basis of this law, almost all able-bodied male civilians up to the age of 50 were gradually used for the production of war-important goods, in the event of a prohibition on dismissal. The military criminal law applied. Workers were remunerated for their work at local rates for work of the same kind.
Such workers were recruited from all over the monarchy, but especially from the eastern part of Austria-Hungary. In Teis were probably Ruthenians in action, the Eastern Slavs of the Habsburg Monarchy. They were transported to the hinterland because they had been evacuated from the front lines or doubted their reliability.
In addition, instruction courses for troop pioneers took place in Teis from January 1915, so that additional sappers and imperial hunter, state shooter and stand shooter trains sent for training worked in the trenches.
The documents relate to: those employed in the construction of the position in Teis The following figures are available (January-March 1915):
| locations | timing | officers | Sappeure, later infantrymen | Voluntary workers | Carrying animals |
| Theis – Villnöß | 10 January 1915 | 4 | 40 | 60 | 2 |
| 9 February 1915 | 3 | 130 | 200 | – | |
| 24 February 1915 | 3 | 136 | 210 | 8 | |
| 9 March 1915 | 3 | 136 | 240 | 22 | |
| 24 March 1915 | 3 | 90 | 230 | 22 |
As of June 1915, only military service workers are listed in the protocols. For the period from 6 to 24 June 1915, the
Worker status in the Teis-Verdings barrier, i.e. in the entire construction phase, can be precisely determined:
| locations | period | Military service workers | Voluntary workers | Prisoners of war | Landsturm workers |
| Theis – Verdings | 6-17 June 1915 | 250 | none | none | none |
| 18-19 June 1915 | 500 | none | none | none | |
| 20-21 June 1915 | 300 | none | none | none | |
| 25 June 1915 | unknown | none | none | none |
On June 23, it is reported that a workers' department to Landro (1. The line of defense had to be decommissioned on June 27, 1915.
is noted in the equipment report of the Brixen Genius Directorate on the works relating to Teis-Villnöß-Verdings:
This is where work rests, as the workforce has been withdrawn and this is generally the case.
For the Accommodation of workers barracks were erected at various heights, to meals Field kitchens were set up. One of these kitchens was in Shelter at the Wetterkreuz, another with four cookers was installed on Mesner floor found.
Lack of labour, supervisors and material
The fastening work on the 2. The line had to be completed without disturbing the work on the 1st line. line is made. But it was not only this that presented the Tyrolean defence with major challenges: Time and again there were weather-related problems and there was also a lack of time, material and, above all, personnel resources. The number of volunteers was between half and a third of the expected, the military worker departments were withdrawn for troop service, there was a lack of genius officers.
From the side of the k.u.k. military command Innsbruck letters went to the Ministry of War in Vienna with the request for remedy. They asked for the allocation of refugees and liberating forces from other areas. (There were, however, reservations about the allocation of politically unreliable workers' departments from southern Trentino, which were additionally thought to be capable of introducing epidemics!)
However, there was also a lack of qualified supervisory staff. A note noted that the use of civilian oversight bodies over the workers' departments in the fortification work had shown bad experiences, such as opposition by civilian workers.
Vienna promised to remedy the situation. It was hoped that North Bohemian workers could be made available. The Landsturm-Sappeur-Abteilung 1/14 in Bolzano was to be used for special technical work, e.g. for demolitions. As far as explosive munitions were concerned, the Ministry of War promised to do everything possible. And in order to prevent opposition from the civilian workers, the commander of the Tyrolean National Defence used officers of the Landsturm Sappeure Division 1/14 in Bolzano for supervisory services, i.e. from the department that - among others - stayed in the Teiser trenches for training purposes.
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